


Changing for Her

by BombzDiggidy



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, TW_characterdeath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22459846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BombzDiggidy/pseuds/BombzDiggidy
Summary: Being a soldier in war forces people to change their outlook on life, Ignatz is but one of those view who believe you must put away your emotions to move forward. But whenever he has to change for the worst to save the girl he loves, he realizes that sometimes, change really isn’t the best.
Relationships: Leonie Pinelli/Ignatz Victor
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Changing for Her

**Author's Note:**

> Hell ! Been a hot minute everybody, this work here was inside by a conversation between me and @cymorg on twitter. Both of us love Leonie and Ignatz to death, and we both began discussed this topic leading to me writing this out now. If you guys have the time I highly suggest going and following her she is an amazing artist and writer please check her out !

Ignatz Victor sat at his desk, staring down at the journal in front of him. The journal was his deepest thoughts. An idea the professor had given to him when he had spoken to him about the terrible feeling in his chest towards the idea about the death of his classmates. Staring down at the page the eyes of Ferdinand stared back at him, as best to the real thing that Ignatz could remember. The quill continued sketching out the nobles features, as detailed and exact to the real thing. Ignatz came to a stop as he finished his hair and he looked down into the eyes of his once long off friend. Ignatz closed his eyes and the image of the noble laying dead an arrow in his chest, entered his mind, it stayed too much longer then he wanted, then the image changed, he saw the beautiful body of the girl he loved lying in his arms, her head resting against his chest and arm, bleeding from the wounds all over her body. But quickly he opened his eyes letting out a small gasp as he tried to calm his breathing. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued sketching.

Ignatz heard the door open and close to his room behind him and he already knew he was gonna be in for a ride. Even before she spoke Ignatz knew who she was, she carried this sweet smell that Ignatz still dreamt about, even so many years after his silly childhood crush.

“Ignatz...we need to talk.” Leonie says softly walking up behind him and stopping. Ignatz sighs and puts his quill down, putting his drawing on hold. He took a nervous, shaky breath before he stood up and turned around. Almost immediately he was overcome with several different emotions. Love, the feeling that always filled his chest whenever he saw Leonie’s beautiful eyes, and the curve of her hips his hands have traveled many times before. But this time, his heart almost immediately shattered as he saw the disappointment and worry in her eyes. Ignatz takes another soft breath before he clears his throat. 

“Well, Leonie, what do you need to talk about.” He says trying to sound calm and collected, though he realizes only you late that it comes off as cold and harsh, seeing Leonie wince almost as he speaks to her. Leonie sighs and steps forward her hands at her side. 

“What, is happening with you Ignatz.” Leonie says after a few moments of silence her lips tightening into a thin frown that shattered Ignatz heart.”You’ve become cold, and uncaring. You speak of our enemy as, as just that, enemies. Those are people too!” She snaps almost as she waves her hands to the side and glares a little those beautiful perfect eyes Ignatz had always dreamed about, that usually sent a shiver down his back now burns into his soul, killing the flame that spurred when she arrived. 

Ignatz keeps his cool, even if inside he’s breaking, wanting to reach out and tell her everything, but he knows he can’t right now he has to keep it a secret. He takes a deep breath and grips his fists before he begins to speak again. 

“Leonie, this is war. Not some silly skirmish from our days back at the monastery. We cannot go into battles thinking there’s another way, another option. It’s either kill or be killed and I am not about to be killed out there.” He says sternly, finally willing himself to meet her eyeline and hold it. He couldn’t help it let out a small squeak when he saw her eyes, how different they looked at him now then before, then any of the times they’ve looked at each other. He’s never seen Leonie look...so sad. The last time he remembered her looking this sad was when Jeralt died, he still has nightmares about the sounds of her sobs. But now it was mixed with something else, disappointment. It hurt him more than any blade could ever. 

“This, this isn’t you Ignatz…” Leonie says softly as she reaches over, taking his hand in hers and squeezing them softly. “Come on Ignatz...the you I remember was kind and caring. You didn’t see the people we fought before as enemies you saw them as people you hated the idea of killing. Now you do it like it’s as simple as breathing…” Ignatz looks down at their hands and he gulps before he pulls his hands from hers looking away.

“The Ignatz that you know, is gone. I’m not some little child anymore Leonie !” Ignatz snaps a little throwing his hands to the side and glaring at Leonie a little bit. He had to put on an act, he had to stay tough and strong against Leonie, he had to stay mean _for_ Leonie. 

“Is that so?” The way that Leonie spoke to him just now ruined Ignatz. She was looking at him, as if he were some enemy. “Then I think that means we should end this.” She says waving her hands around the room, Ignatz was a little confused before it clicked and his face fell. He opened his mouth to speak but Leonie didn’t let him. 

“The Ignatz I know is _gone_. The Ignatz that I know was who I wanted to be with, who I wanted to stay with.” She says coldly her eyes glaring daggers at the man in front of her. But who is he kidding he couldn’t call himself a man in that moment, all he wanted was to move forward and apologize and throw away this manly facade the more and more she spoke to him. “Stay away from me Ignatz.” She says as she turns around to walk out. Ignatz stays frozen before he moves forward. 

“No no Leonie I can’t…”

“Why not? Do you mean on the battlefield? Like how you constantly are always there, never letting me fight. Always stopping people before they get to me? Is this another manly trait of yours? That you don’t trust me now? That you believe I won’t be able to do it?!” She snaps turning around her eyes glaring again as she throws her hand to the side. “You think I’m just some weakling !” 

Ignatz opens his mouth to speak until he sees the first tear stream down her cheek and everything inside of him shatters. 

“I thought that at first, maybe it was nice. You’d have my back I could rely on you. But now, now you don’t even let me fight ! You think I’m just some weak, stupid girl!” She snaps throwing her hands to the side cursing at herself for beginning to cry in front of Ignatz, she grits her teeth and tries to calm her breathing down. “Listen, leave me alone Ignatz. You want to act like this big strong man fine, whatever. But don’t think because you’re some big strong man now that you can just make me some housewife who can’t fight her own battles. Whatever it is that we’re doing, whatever we are, it’s done.” 

“Leonie…”

“No ! No Ignatz I don’t wanna hear any more of your excuses ! Ferdinand was out there Ignatz, you knew Ferdinand, he was a friend of ours ! He was super kind and sweet and now he’s dead and you treat it like he’s just some random nobody ! It’s like, you don’t care about anyone anymore ! You’re big man Ignatz now isn’t that right?! You think you’re this super amazing soldier who can do everything isn’t that right?! And you think I’m just some weak little gir-“

“That’s not true at all !” Ignatz snaps before Leonie can finish with a new found passion burning in his chest. And before Leonie can react, and IGnatz can realize what he’s about to say, he continues. “Leonie you are the strongest person I know, stronger than Raphael or the professor ! You’re absolutely amazing and beautiful and perfect and I don’t think you’re weak ! God no I could never Leonie I’m so sorry…” He says as he hangs his head breathing heavily. 

“Every time I go into battle though I see you, lying there dead.” The sentence came out of his mouth hoarse and rough. Even now the image came back to his memory and he shut his eyes for a moment before he continued. “ And not just you, I see every single death that I committed, the image of all those lying there with the arrows that I’ve plunged into their chest. My hands covered in blood both physically and mentally…” 

Leonie frowns softly as she looked down at ignatz, hearing his soft, tiny voice, she reached over and softly touched his cheek until looked up at her. She frowned, but it wasn’t, that disappointed or angry frown, now it was sadness and worry. 

“Why are you telling me this…? You just said we have to put this whole, feeling sorrowful from the deaths we commit isn’t something we should do? Are you just saying this?” She asked in a soft weak question. But Ignatz shook his head, her hand still against his cheek, he leans into it closing his eyes. 

“No I...No I thought I had to, I thought I had to be this big strong killer, so that way, you wouldn’t worry about killing, and that way you’d be safer…” He says softly averting his eyes not being able to bear to look at her. “But...but I’m not strong enough to keep up this act under your eyes, when you looked at me with anger and disgust...I broke…” Ignatz finally looked up at Leonie, she stared down at him in confusion, shock, and worry. Her lips softly parted for a moment before she spoke in a soft, hushed tone. 

“Why?” She says softly looking down at him, her heart pounding inside her chest. “Why do you care so much for me?” 

“I love you, Leonie Pinelli.”

The statement, escaped his lips before he could try to stop it. It was bursting in his chest ever since she walked in, ever since they met again after those five years, ever since they first met as students at that monastery. Now, now it finally reached it’s bursting point and it escaped from inside him. The two stood in silence and Ignatz gulped. 

“I know...I have upset you, and maybe even saying that upsets you. I am no man Leonie.” He speaks looking away from her. “I am, a coward and a fool. And you don’t deserve someone like me to love yo-“ As he looks up his sentence is cut off by Leonie, her hands grabbing his face as she moves forward and presses her lips to his. Everything around him freezes, and for a moment he’s still, but then his hands move to hold her waist pulling her close as he kisses her back. Her lips are soft, he’s kissed her before, when they’ve made love but this, this is something different. Leonie’s hands softly cradle his face, her thumb rubbing against his cheek. The kiss feels like an eternity, but when she pulls away it’s over all too quick. Ignatz frowns and looks at her. 

“You're an idiot Ignatz.” Leonie says with a small laugh as she presses her forehead to Ignatz’s. “I’m not gonna die on you, I have to protect you.” She says softly. “You don’t have to put on an act, or worry about me.” 

“But Leonie…” Ignatz starts but Leonie shakes her head in a way to tell him to stop. Her arms snake over his shoulder and they move up the back of his neck into his hair. 

“No buts…” She says softly smiling more. “I’ll protect you, you protect me _but_ let me fight okay.” She states smiling a little bit. Ignatz laughs softly and nods as his arms snake around her waist. “I promise...I’ll take away all those images from your mind okay…” The promise is soft and sweet and Ignatz shivers as she pulls him into a hug. Ignatz nods and closes his eyes, and for the first time since the war started, he doesn’t see a dead body or blood , instead her sees Leonie, smiling at him, the girl he loves alive. 


End file.
